Welcome to the forum. Lots to learn and lots to contribute here. I am sure you will have fun.

An immediate suggestion is to start using the Search function (top right). Questions like "what sauce recipe should I use" have been asked, answered and/ or commented on hundreds of times. Look around......Try "sauce"

Mine is not much different. I usually add a bit of sugar to taste - depends on the particular can - each is a bit different than the last. I also do not use the liquid in the can (too tinny for one thing). And, I add a bit of garlic powder to taste when I want it to be New Yorky.

But, there are, as I said, zillions of answers to this question. MiHawkeye: The search function is your friend.

Hey, I spent 7 years or so in Grand Rapids, 1995-2001. I wasn't making my own sauce back then, so I can't really say what brands of tomatoes they had in stores. It may have changed a lot since then. I seem to recall getting Don Pepino's pizza sauce, which is okay as a NY style sauce, but it's not quite my cup of tea. I like to make a margherita style as well as a NY style, and I like products that are ready to go right out of the can. I find that anything that tastes great for the Margherita will make a good NY sauce. My favorite is the white can fake san marzanos. I also tried Pastene Kitchen ready tomatoes recently and they were excellent. I f I could get them locally, I would use them on a regular basis because the price is much better. The one local place I really like that does the classic NY/NJ style, has a really smooth thin sauce. I would guess that he is not crushing the tomatoes himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he is using a Stanislaus product or something similar.I agree less is more for a NY sauce. I like some garlic, fresh basil, and a little oregano. Also a pinch of sugar, depending on the can, and salt if it isn't in the can already.

It's a very tasty sauce, but soon realized that a cooked sauce really dies when baking. It loses a lot of its original character. Lately I've taken the advice of folks on here and simply took crushed tomatoes and added a pinch of oregano maybe some sugar and just spooned it on the dough. It will firm up in the oven and I'm really enjoying it.

I've had great luck with Walmart brand crushed - I have Cento crushed now and it's not as good

Put the olive oil and all the spices into a small microwave safe container such as a ramekin or a coffee cup. Ensure that all the spices are wet from being covered in olive oil. Microwave the mixture for two minutes at 30% power. This is called “microwave extraction”. This technique gives you the same effect of cooking the sauce, without the negative effects of cooking canned tomatoes. The herbs and spices get infused into the oil, so you get the benefits of cooking the sauce without cooking the tomatoes.

Pour the oil/spice mix into a container with the tomatoes. Close the container and shake the heck out of it. It is ready to serve immediately, but it is better if refrigerated overnight. Note that pizza sauce should be applied to a pizza when it has reached room temperature.

I recently made a simpler variation of this with just the garlic, oregano (both in oil) and a full teaspoon of salt. It was excellent IMO.

Put the olive oil and all the spices into a small microwave safe container such as a ramekin or a coffee cup. Ensure that all the spices are wet from being covered in olive oil. Microwave the mixture for two minutes at 30% power. This is called “microwave extraction”. This technique gives you the same effect of cooking the sauce, without the negative effects of cooking canned tomatoes. The herbs and spices get infused into the oil, so you get the benefits of cooking the sauce without cooking the tomatoes.

Pour the oil/spice mix into a container with the tomatoes. Close the container and shake the heck out of it. It is ready to serve immediately, but it is better if refrigerated overnight. Note that pizza sauce should be applied to a pizza when it has reached room temperature.

I recently made a simpler variation of this with just the garlic, oregano (both in oil) and a full teaspoon of salt. It was excellent IMO.

Hey, I spent 7 years or so in Grand Rapids, 1995-2001. I wasn't making my own sauce back then, so I can't really say what brands of tomatoes they had in stores. It may have changed a lot since then. I seem to recall getting Don Pepino's pizza sauce, which is okay as a NY style sauce, but it's not quite my cup of tea. I like to make a margherita style as well as a NY style, and I like products that are ready to go right out of the can. I find that anything that tastes great for the Margherita will make a good NY sauce. My favorite is the white can fake san marzanos. I also tried Pastene Kitchen ready tomatoes recently and they were excellent. I f I could get them locally, I would use them on a regular basis because the price is much better. The one local place I really like that does the classic NY/NJ style, has a really smooth thin sauce. I would guess that he is not crushing the tomatoes himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he is using a Stanislaus product or something similar.I agree less is more for a NY sauce. I like some garlic, fresh basil, and a little oregano. Also a pinch of sugar, depending on the can, and salt if it isn't in the can already.

My mother in law was born and raised in Italy and she only uses the Pastene tomatoes when she makes her sauce for pasta. They are great for pizza's also.

Crazy amount of info here http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?board=44.0. just start picking, choosing and tasting. Gotta find what fits your own tongue, regardless of what others say. They help you get darned close, still need to do the taste test. I stay away from most that have too much, if any, citric acid. Tastes very tinny to me, others don't mind it, I think the tinny, bitterness gets in the way of the natural sweetness, many add sugar to ballance that, in packing at the plant or after we get it home, then to me it gets too sweet sometimes. Just some thoughts....

jon

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“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” -Mark Twain

Taste tastes routinely show tasters prefer both citric acid and calcium chloride when choosing a canned tomato, and they prefer them packed in juice as opposed to puree. I used to be a devout, whole peeled tomato guy (I did make neapolitan pizza for a number of years.) They are great for that application, but for NY I say go crushed....and crushed typically doesn't have the firming and freshness agents in them.

Crazy amount of info here http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?board=44.0. just start picking, choosing and tasting. Gotta find what fits your own tongue, regardless of what others say. They help you get darned close, still need to do the taste test. I stay away from most that have too much, if any, citric acid. Tastes very tinny to me, others don't mind it, I think the tinny, bitterness gets in the way of the natural sweetness, many add sugar to ballance that, in packing at the plant or after we get it home, then to me it gets too sweet sometimes. Just some thoughts....

There was a study on canned tomatoes done some years ago that was posted here. The San Marzano crushed in the white can (see my post above), got really high marks, and they come with both the citric acid and the calcium chloride, as well as salt, and I believe puree. I have also noticed in recent years, that at certain times of the year, the cans list water and a thickening agent. I'm assuming that has something to with the amount of cans being manufactured versus the amount of tomatoes being harvested.

Rosa crushed San Marzanos do not have salt. I've also run into other brands, store brands perhaps, that list crushed tomatoes as the only ingredient.

1 - 28OZ can of Sclafani ground tomatoes (The Sclafani made by B&G foods - the other Sclafani brand can't compare but the cans look very similar - Google B&G Foods and look at their product line - you'll see what their can looks like)1/2 tsp dry oregano1/2 tsp dry basil (or 3-4 chopped fresh basil leaves)1/2 tsp salt1/4 tsp dry minced onion / onion flakes1/4 tsp dry garlic flakes (the flakes look like little dry minced pieces of garlic and taste much better than garlic powder or granulated garlic which can be very bitter and over-powering. Fresh garlic also seems too strong/bitter to me)1/4 tsp fennel seed (whole seeds or you can take 1/4 tsp of whole seeds and then crush them before adding - I like them whole as they to give you a surprise every now and then when you take a bite that has one in it)1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix all together and let sit 24 hrs in the fridge. Don't cook the sauce - it will cook on the pizza.

Those are a lot of ingredients but you'll notice the quantity of each is quite small. You don't really want to taste powerful seasoning in NYS Sauce, the seasoning should just "enhance" a bit. Of course, any ingredient is optional. I'll sometimes leave the garlic out if I don't feel like having that hint of garlic or the fennel if I don't want that hint of flavor, etc. Can also add 1/2 tsp of sugar if you feel the tomatoes are a bit acidic or increase to 1 tsp of sugar if you like a bit sweeter sauce. All up to you but the above recipe is one I use quite a bit. In my opinion, the B&G Sclafani tomatoes are just as good as commercial Stanislaus 7/11 ground tomatoes (some here claim they are even better).